I Love You Better Now
by myeveryday
Summary: Even after everything that had happened, Felicity Smoak still trusted Oliver Queen. Completely. Oliver and Felicity, post 2x23.


**Yup, another post season two finale fic. I couldn't resist. This demanded to be written, and who am I to deny a muse? Anyway, enjoy, and please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Story title comes from the song "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran.**

* * *

She held it together until she got home.

Felicity hadn't even realized she was crying until she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror while she was getting ready for bed. Staring at her face in the mirror, Felicity raised a shaky hand and touched the tear stains that coated her cheeks.

And then it hit her.

Felicity's fingers gripped the sink and she lowered herself to the ground. Her heart thundered in her ears and black spots danced in front of her eyes. She felt like she was going to pass out as the room tilted dangerously around her.

Some reasonable part of her mind told her that she was just having a panic attack, and that she needed to calm down. But she didn't know how.

Felicity didn't know how long she sat on the floor in her bathroom. Eventually, though, the room stopped spinning and she could hear again. An errant tear or two still slipped from her eyes, but she wiped them away and stood.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Felicity splashed some cold water on her face. It was a quick fix, but it made her eyes feel less swollen. She stripped her clothes off as she dragged herself to bed. Clad in only her underwear and bra, Felicity slipped into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Everything Oliver had said to her since he had taken her to the mansion on that night rang in her ears, and she closed her eyes tightly as if that could block them out. She could his voice telling her that he loved her over and over again, and then she could feel him pressing the arrow filled with the cure into her hand as he asked her if she understood. She saw the look on his face when he said that they had both sold it, and Felicity yanked the covers over her head altogether.

She needed to block it out. She didn't want to hear it anymore.

It was another hour before Felicity finally fell asleep. She dreamed of Slade holding the double-edged sword to her throat. Laurel was behind her, and Oliver was in front of Felicity. He was being forced to choose.

Only this time, the blade sliced through her throat.

* * *

"You're not okay."

Felicity looked up at Diggle. Instead of standing watch at Oliver's office, he parked in front of her desk and staring down at her. She blinked at him, her lips parting as she tried to think of something—anything—to say.

Finally, Felicity said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Digg leveled her with a look that left no room for argument, and Felicity's shoulders slumped. She was thankful that Oliver was in a meeting with some investors to go over how he could get the company back, because she felt like she was about to lose it yet again.

"Have you talked to him?" Digg asked. She could hear the barely contained rage in his voice, and she wondered why. Digg was so much angrier than he had been on the island when he left her and Oliver to talk.

Felicity shook her head. "Not since the island, no." She wiped at her eyes, terrified that she was crying again without realizing it. Thankfully, her cheeks were dry and she didn't feel the telltale signs of burning in her eyes. She was tired of crying.

Digg shook his head slowly. "What he did to you wasn't right. Especially considering…" He trailed off, and Felicity wasn't surprised that Digg knew how she really felt about Oliver. Digg was extremely perceptive, and she was positive that he had picked up on her feelings for Oliver long ago.

Felicity pressed her lips together and looked towards the boardroom to make sure that the meeting wasn't finished yet. "Did he tell you about his plan?" she asked. She had wondered if Digg had known what Oliver had planned on doing.

Digg snorted. "Hell no. Oliver didn't tell me anything about his plan. I think he knew that I would be too angry and that I would tell him not to do it." Digg was gearing up for a fight. Felicity knew that he was getting ready to hash it out with Oliver.

Felicity sighed. "Digg—"

"No, Felicity." Digg held up his hand and refused to let her protest. She was like his little sister, and what had transpired didn't sit well with him. "I know that his plan worked, and he's extremely lucky that it did. But he used you."

Felicity swallowed hard as her heart began to pound. Had Oliver used her? She supposed that in a way, he had. He had taken her into the mansion and said everything she had been dreaming of hearing for the past two years. And then when he had placed that arrow in her hand, it all came crashing down around her.

Even so, Felicity knew what she had signed up for. She had gone out into the field a few times and she was prepared to do it again. She knew that it was going to be close, and that Slade was dangerous and unpredictable. But she also trusted Oliver and she knew that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

God, even after what he had told her in the mansion, she still trusted him. Was that too twisted?

"You could have been seriously injured," Digg continued. "Or even killed. And yeah, he outmaneuvered Slade, but any number of things could have happened. I can't believe he didn't take that into consideration."

Right. Oliver had outmaneuvered Slade because Slade didn't ever think Oliver could love someone like Felicity. She had almost completely forgotten that piece of information, and it tore at something deep inside of her.

Felicity sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and plastered a smile on her face as the door to the boardroom opened. Oliver appeared, shaking hands with the investors and board members that were leaving. Queen Consolidated wasn't his company at the moment, but it seemed as if he had made some headway in getting it back.

Oliver looked pretty pleased with himself as he made his way over to Felicity and Diggle. He opened his mouth to greet them and tell them about the meeting, but Diggle cut him off.

"I'll bring the car around," he said shortly. Without giving Oliver time to respond, he quickly left the lobby of the top floor and headed towards the elevator.

"What's up with him?" Oliver asked.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders and stood up. She grabbed her jacket, slid her purse onto her arm and began to make her way towards the elevator as well. But she didn't miss the way that Oliver's eyes quickly flashed between her and Diggle. He had to have known what they were talking about.

But it wasn't like Felicity was going to say anything.

* * *

Against her better judgment, Felicity headed into the foundry. Even though they had just defeated Slade, there was always work to be done. Besides that, it would at least keep her distracted. The last thing she needed right now was for her mind to wander.

Entering the foundry, she saw that Oliver and Diggle were over by the training area. Instead of using the staffs or any other kind of equipment, they were doing hand-to-hand combat. Felicity took note of it but didn't say anything as she took her seat in front of the (once again) replaced computers.

She lost herself in the programs and information that flashed across her screen for almost two hours. This is what she knew. She was good at it, and she understood it. This was the world that made sense, and it wasn't spiraling out of control like her live currently was.

Felicity was suddenly aware of both Oliver and Diggle at her side. Looking up, she saw that both exhausted and sweaty. What alarmed her most was that Oliver had a bruise blooming on his jaw and under his eye. Completely forgetting about her computers, Felicity jumped up and pressed her fingers to Oliver's chin.

"Digg! What happened to him?" she asked. Felicity tilted Oliver's jaw towards her before she inspected the black and blue area around his left eye.

Diggle did nothing but grunt in response. He took a swig from his water bottle and made eye contact with Oliver. A silent exchange happened between the two. Digg didn't have that pinched look on his face anymore, so Felicity supposed that some progress had been made with his attitude towards Oliver.

It was then that both Oliver and Felicity realized that she still had her hands on his face. One hand cupped the unbruised side of his jaw while the fingers on her other hand gently brushed the area under his eye. Oliver tensed and the expression on his face was unreadable. Felicity's hands slowly fell away from his face, and Oliver pivoted on one heel and stalked from the foundry.

"Digg…" Felicity repeated. Her voice caught and she cleared in her throat. The door to the foundry slammed and echoed in the space around them. "What did you do?"

Diggle looked pretty impressed with himself. A self-satisfied smile crossed his face, and he said, "I had a talk with him."

No matter what Felicity did to bug him, Diggle refused to tell her what he said.

* * *

Felicity didn't know how long she was laying in her bed, staring at her ceiling.

One second she was staring at her blankly at the ceiling, and the next she caught the shadow of standing over her bed.

A surprised shriek escaped Felicity's lips, and she scrambled up towards her headboard. Her eyes adjusted in the darkness, and she realized that she was staring at Oliver's familiar form.

"Oliver, what the hell?" she demanded with a hand pressed to her chest. "What are you doing?"

He stayed in the shadows of her dark room, and a long moment of silence stretched between them. Finally, he said, "I wouldn't have let you get hurt."

Felicity stared at him. Despite the fact that she wasn't sleeping, her mind was still hazy with exhaustion and she was trying to make sense of what Oliver was telling her. When she made the connection, she curled tighter into herself on the bed.

"I know," she said, barely loud enough to be heard.

Oliver took a step closer, and she could see that he had his arms crossed over his chest. She didn't even know how he managed to get in her room, honestly. "Do you?" he asked.

"Damn it, Digg," Felicity mumbled under her breath. She knew what they had been arguing about when she entered the foundry earlier that afternoon, and she should have known that Oliver was going to come talk to her. Looking back towards Oliver, she simply stated, "I trust you."

And she did. Even though he had broken her heart, she still put all of her trust in him. That probably wasn't going to ever change.

Oliver's shoulders slumped. "You probably shouldn't."

"Oliver—"

"I should have told you what I was planning," Oliver continued as if he hadn't heard Felicity. "You were ambushed and I didn't…" He trailed off, and Felicity's heart stuttered in her chest.

Felicity crawled towards the edge of the bed, on the side that Oliver was standing by. "You needed it to look real," she said softly. "I understand."

Even in the darkness, she could see Oliver's eyes. They were filled with guilt and sadness and pain, and Felicity wished that she could do something to help him. "I don't deserve you," Oliver said in a voice she had to strain to hear.

"Stop it," Felicity ordered. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. This was the first time since he had taken her into the mansion that she had willingly touched him. Having him here, addressing what had transpired between them instead of running away from it made it hurt less.

"I wouldn't have let him hurt you," Oliver repeated. "I couldn't have let him hurt you."

Felicity simply nodded her head and slid her hand from his wrist to his hand. She wrapped her fingers around his, but was distracted when Oliver took his free hand and cupped her cheek. He tilted her face up towards his. There was something else in his eyes now, something that Felicity couldn't put a name to.

"I can't… I want…" He stopped and tried again. "I can't be with someone I could really care about. Not right now."

Felicity flashed back to that day all those months ago when Oliver had said those very words to her. She still believed that he deserved everything he wanted in the world. Oliver Queen deserved happiness and he deserved to be safe. And maybe one day, she could be the one to give him all of those things.

Instead of saying anything, Felicity smiled brightly at him. She tugged on his hand until he had climbed onto the bed with her. She pressed on his chest until he was laying down. Felicity slid against Oliver's side until she was resting with her head on his chest, her ear pressed over his heart.

Oliver's arms came up and wrapped around Felicity, holding her to him. She closed her eyes and immediately felt sleep creep up over her. Wrapped in each other's embrace, both Oliver and Felicity relaxed completely.

Just before she fell completely into sleep, Felicity felt the weight that had been on her chest lifting.

* * *

"Wake up."

Felicity cracked an eye open and found Oliver grinning at her. She had half a mind to go back to sleep, but she had a naked and smiling Oliver Queen next to her in bed. Who was she to say no to that?

"Well you're in a good mood," Felicity noted. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Her back arched and the sheets fell away from her body. Oliver's eyes swept up down her form, and his blue orbs darkened.

In a flash he was over her, pinning her wrists above her head. Felicity giggled and Oliver ducked his head, pressing kisses to the exposed skin of her throat. "I love you," he murmured against her skin.

Warmth spread through Felicity at his words. It had taken another two years, but her patience and love for Oliver had won out and he realized what he had in front of him all along. He still thought that he wasn't good enough for her, but Felicity would spend the rest of her life proving to him otherwise if she had to.

"Say it again," Felicity ordered. She sighed happily and arched under Oliver as his fingers trailed down her body.

Oliver kissed up her neck and then pressed his lips to hers in a hot kiss. "I love you," he murmured against her lips.

"I love you too, Oliver," Felicity breathed. She closed her eyes, waiting for him, but she felt him pull back.

Surprised, Felicity opened her eyes and looked at Oliver. She lay beneath him, watching the emotions she saw swirling in his dark blue orbs. He reached up and touched her cheek, his fingers trailing gently across it.

"I meant it then, too," he whispered.

Felicity immediately knew what he was talking about. She beamed at him before she reached up and kissed him again.

"I know."

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


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